What is Reddit's opinion of
Droid48?
From 3.5 billion Reddit comments
Popularity Score: 30
This app was mentioned in 44 comments, with an average of 2.91 upvotes
Best Comments
>my examiner will be picky with that
That is often true, but it isn't in the ACS, and there are not FAA standards on flight computers, mechanical or otherwise.
I use a flight computer on my HP Graphing calculator, which I can also run on my phone, in an emulator of the calculator itself. I rarely directly use my graphing calculator for anything, because I use the emulator on my phone, but I do keep the physical calculator in my flight bag, because if my phone dies, I can use something with multi-month battery life that has the same interface I've been using on my phone.
During my check ride, I brought the graphing calculator with me, and planned to use it primarily, because of the negative stigma phones still have, but I ended up doing all of the math in my head, because I was flying a 152 that burns 0.1 gal of fuel per minute, at a cruise speed of 1.5 nautical miles per minute, making the math easy. My DPE didn't seem to mind that I gave the answer without pulling out a flight computer. I did work out the problem out loud, so she knew I wasn't just guessing.
Using a slide rule in an airplane, especially during exams, comes down down to tradition more than anything else, but if you use an electronic calculator that is marketed as a flight computer, most every DPE won't think it out of the ordinary.
Son útiles. Si las usas continuamente, es mucho mejor que una app en el celular (la respuesta es instantánea y el comportamiento es más confiable). Si sos estudiante, usar un teléfono puede que no sea una opción.
Yo no la uso tanto (y no conseguí arreglar el teclado de mí HP 48GX) así que uso una app:
I know this isn't an actual calculator, but you could get an emulator for your phone. They have an awesome hp 48gx emulator for android phones (not sure what they have for iphones): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.ab.x48
Engineer here with a few years old. I really love Droid48. An emulator of the mythical HP+ 48g. I was used to the original, and now is my default calculator.
Millennial here
I love RPN, because it is more or less the only reasonable way to work with multiple variables on a calculator. Without it, I'm usually writing things down, to type in later. I view the need to use a piece of paper, with a calculator, as a design failure.
I also use an HP-48 emulator as the calculator on my phone. Apple will not allow it on an iPhone, which is why I do not recommend them to co-workers.
> I can't do the work now, since I don't have a stats calculator on me.
A computer with an internet connection can stand in for a statistics calculator. If you've prepared by installing the right software, you won't even need the internet connection...
Alternatively, you could be browsing with a tablet, in which case there are tablet apps that could be useful. If you're using android, then Droid48 is a great calculator app.
For Australian Surveyors BENCHMRK is an app useful for finding State Permanent Survey Marks.
I use Droid48 all the time. A HP48 Emulator.
Weather Apps (I use our Government BOM app)
CASA Open Sky (Lets me know if there are restrictions for flying our Drone)
Compass. Just for basic orientation starting an unconnected job.
Tinder. Because, well, Tinder.
You should check out Droid48. It's an emulator based on the X48 project. It's been on my phone since the HTC Magic days.
I've not seen it mentioned yet.
My first thought is Droid48, but that really is only a good idea if you already understand HP syntax (Reverse Polish Notation).
I am sure there are similar Android emulators of TIs and others, but I've not had occasion to use them.
Whatever app you use, #3 will work for simple-ish problems, but not be up to Wolfram Alpha level of sophistication.
They let you use a phone app for class? Might aswell Google the answers.
Casio FX-115es is the calculator that put me though college. It's like 20$ and can even use it on the NCEES tests.
During throughout the day for Survey work I use Droid48 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.ab.x48
It's a reverse polar notation calculator and the DMS is kind of hidden. Purplekey》4》nxt and use the a-f keys to use the functions on the screen.
Reading other comments it might seem too complex for you. It is in general a complex calculator and needs weeks of practice to get to a point of efficiency.
If I'm not at a PC I use Droid 48 as my calculator of choice. It's not perfect, tends to lose everything on screen rotation which is frustrating, but it works well enough. Haven't found anything better for it so far.
RPN's a recent(ish) thing for me. I never owned a physical RPN calculator but when I was learning Clojure (a lisp-family programming language) a while back I realised I like prefix/postfix notations more than the traditional infix notation so I went looking for options. RPN's not quite the same but close enough, still better than infix. (On a PC I'm more likely to open a lisp REPL and use its prefix notation instead.)
I switched to an emulator, and haven't looked back.
The physical calculator is great, and until I bought a phablet the emulator keyboard was a bit small, but there's a huge advantage to almost always having it with you, and I'm not nerdy enough to always have my graphing calculator with me.
Before getting a smart phone though, I did use my HP calculator as an eBook reader and as a Spanish-English dictionary. I also still carry it with me as an aviation computer, because touch-screens are difficult during bumpy rides, and I think too much of myself for an E6B slide rule.
> Maybe I'm just an old guy at 30 years old, but I enjoy using the manual E6B (I'm an Electrical Engineer, I love slide rulers)
You call yourself an electrical engineer, and you don't use an RPN calculator? In the least you should run an emulator on your phone.
My trusty old HP48 crapped out a while back. Instead of replacing it, I just use this android app that emulates it.
When in front of a computer though, I gravitate towards an old app called "OMAX Calculator", abandonware that used to be distributed by a machine tool company. It's nice because you get a running total in real time as you enter a formula. (I saw something similar but more advanced when I was investigating linux desktop a while back, but haven't seen anything better for windows, so I still use this 15 year old exe.)
Only if that calculator works in RPN.
Also, everyone this is the best phone calculator, ever. Sorry iOS users, but it is against Apple's rules to have a programmable calculator on your iPhone.
Bah.. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.ab.x48
RPN for life!
lol! That's the tip of the iceberg in terms to calculator nerd culture. lol!
​
You want a bottomless pit, look into HP calculators. :D
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/HP-32S
​
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/HP_48_series#/48S
​
https://hp.giesselink.com/emu48.htm
​
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.ab.x48
​
​
https://www.hpe.com/us/en/insights/articles/the-early-history-of-hp-calculators-1709.html
​
- Droid48 Best rpn calculator out there
- MyRadar this radar is so quick
- SkySafari 5 Plus sky safari is the best star chart software available on android
- X-plore I use this and also solid explorer. I am touting this because it works so well with androidtv
List made using List My Apps
It isn't even the cost that's an issue for me. If you are flying an airplane, cost has already gone out the back door, around the block a few times, and off a cliff somewhere in Uzbekistan.
What really bugs me is that iPads are just difficult to use, and more difficult to customize. My grandma, who can barely send an email, convinced herself that she needed a tablet and, because it is supposed to be easy to use, bought an iPad. She constantly has trouble using it, and often asks me how to accomplish different things. With any other operating system, whether a personal computer or a mobile device, including any with OS X, I would figure it out myself, then show her. If it were Windows 8, I'd usually laugh at how ridiculous and unintuitive it is, but still find my way around. With iOS, I often have to give up and search for it online. Sometimes, even with instructions, I still cannot pull it off. I don't know how anyone would think up using a five-finger pinch is a reasonable, let alone intuitive, method for switching between running applications. I usually end up balancing it on my knee and using two hands, and even then I'm lucky if it recognizes the gesture by the second attempt.
On top of all that, it cannot run my favorite programmable calculator, simply because it is a programmable calculator. Any programmable applications are straight-up forbidden. I need a computer running OS X if I want to write even the simplest code to automate something. Considering how many aviation applications were written for the HP 48, I don't know how the industry could go from using such extremely customizable electronics to using iPads.
Also, for one last vent, once the iPad up and decided that it wouldn't run any paid applications until it connected back to Apple's servers. It also didn't bother giving any error messages, it just closed every paid application as soon as I opened it. That would be no fun in the air, without a nearby access point.
Android version for those interested.
>good calculator app
Do you mean an app to run on your calculator?
Probably not, but I'm going to tell you anyway, because that's what I use, and it is technically what you asked for. The best ones are:
Also, you can run them in Android, using an emulator. It seems like an odd thing to do, but that's what I primarily use, because I can fall back on my physical calculator, if my phone is dead. The batteries last for months. The calculator can even use the sun, and time of day, as a compass.
My boss uses this https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.ab.x48 Work the same as a physical one but with out the same feel.
Yes, HP48 all day. Real or simulated.
You will probably prefer an actual hp48sx emulator. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.ab.x48
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.ab.x48
This is my favorite. Pretty close emulator of the one I use daily at work.
It can be years ago again. Get your reverse polish on
There's an HP 48 emulator that's free with no ads for Android.
I've used droid48 for close to a decade now!
Brah check it out:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.ab.x48&hl=en_US
Dúvido que vão te deixar usar na prova, mas sempre tem o emulador pra Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.ab.x48
If you don't want the 50g, you can always run a 48 series on your phone.
I totally understand you. I am 30 years old, and I design electronics and am very capable of using them, yet there are several things that bug me about some of the use of modern technology in flying.
For one thing, I can't stand iPads. Not only do they seem have some of the worst tablet usability out there, but they are practically unconfigurable, with a very limited range of models and they cost several times more than competing products. Why doesn't iOS let you hide icons for built-in applications you never want to use? Who thought it was a good idea to implement a five-finger pinch gesture on an eight inch screen? Why can't I get a higher aspect ratio screen?
I will never rely on ForeFlight, not because I don't like iPads, or because the battery might go out, but because on more than one occasion, I've seen iOS refuse to launch applications, even after a restart. In both cases opening the App Store, accepting the terms and conditions, and logging back in fixed the issue. One of those occurrences was in an airplane, and the fix would not have been possible without cellular data reception.
I think I high-tech tools can make piloting much safer, because in an emergency they can provide us with information much faster than we can look it up ourselves. I also think it is unethical to disable those systems when someone hasn't paid up. If you turn on an un-activated cell phone, it will give two options: activate and emergency call. Even a lcoked cell phone can still call 911. With ForeFlight on iOS, if your subscription isn't current, or iOS wants you to log back into the App Store, because they've changed their terms and conditions, you don't get to find the closest airport. You get nothing.
As for what I do plan on using, I'm still working it out, but so far my plan is to carry some combination of these electronic tools:
For weights and balances and other calculations I can use an HP-48 series programmable calculator, also I can also emulate that calculator on my phone or tablet, if I don't want to bring the physical device with me.
For checklists and quick references I have a Nook Simple Touch with Glowlight that is readable in full sunlight as well as at night. I can make a custom slideshow for the lock screen, so I will make a one-image slideshow with an emergency checklist, so it will always display when the device is in standby, and it will immediately display upon pressing the power button when the device is in use. I can then have another slideshow with various checklists and references for the trip, and use the page turn buttons or a swiping motion to scroll through them. This would be great on a kneeboard.
For backup GPS navigation and charts, as well as for finding the nearest airport in an emergency, I'll use Avare on an Android phone or tablet. As long as the device operates, Avare will work. It doesn't require a subscription, because it is completely free.
For other information I could use need in an emergency, I keep a copy of Wikipedia on an SD card in my phone or tablet. This has come in handy multiple times on the ground, and I wouldn't be surprised if it proved useful in the air. I also have a PDF copy of the POH for my aircraft on the card.
For cellular data, I use a FreedomPop SIM card that gets me 500 megabytes a month, at no charge.
As for the actual cell phone or tablet, right now I am using a Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 with a built-in cellular data connection and GPS radio. Its user interface is intuitive, it has dedicated capacitive buttons for back and menu, a physical button for home and task manager, and a 7-inch 16:9 aspect ratio that makes for a device skinny enough to easily hold it in one hand, yet tall enough to be usable for GPS navigation when mounted on a dash or a knee. I bought it refurbished for $55, and I pay no reoccurring charges for either Avare or FreedomPop.
I also have a handheld aviation radio, in case I lose electrical power. It's pretty old-shool, but it does pick up VORs and give defelction from the closest radial.
Of course I still bring a paper chart, and I intend to stay current on partial panel flying, but I think we can be safer, at least with a more usable set of electronics and applications than what is currently popular. I think the ideal device, one that doesn't exist yet, is a GPS-enabled frontlit color e-ink tablet with an always-on screen that has great visibility in full sun.
I rooted my Nook, so I can compile and run custom Android applications on it. I think there are some useful things I could do with it, although with a 600x800 grey-scale display and Android 2.3,my options are rather limited compared to the LCD-based tablet.
I also have a color laser printer, so I can mark up charts on a computer and print the results. It'll use a bunch of toner, but it is far cheaper than printer ink.